Is there anything that says “new baby” more than a sleep-deprived parent? It might be a cliche of motherhood but it’s only a cliche because it’s true: having a bub nearly always means sleeping poorly. It seems to be inevitable.

And the fun doesn’t stop when the kids leave babyhood. Many mothers will tell you that they’ve never slept properly since they had kids. While those nightly awakenings do become less frequent, there are still lots of reasons why mums are up late: sick kids, trips to the bathroom (or bedding changes when they don’t make it in time), nightmares, night-terrors, sleepwalkers – the list goes on. Then they hit teenage years, and it’s staying up late to collect them from parties, or concerts, or friends’ houses. Is it any wonder we’re always tired?

At Kidspot, we don’t claim to have all the answers, but we sure can sympathise and we have also called on a variety of experts to share their different insights, opinions, techniques and stories about sleep. Plus there’s some fun as well and a chance to win some prizes: it may not lessen the sleep deprivation but it will brighten up your day a little.

1) Instagram competition: Sleep is no laughing matter, except for when …

Entries open 3 March, and close on Friday 28 March, 2014. See here for full terms and conditions. The winner will be announced on this page on 11 April.

My eldest son once fell asleep half in and half out of the back door, lying across a concrete step, with a toy hammer in his hand.

It’s ironic, really. While our kids are keeping us up at night, they’re also showing us how easy it is to give into tiredness wherever you happen to be. Tired? Just close your eyes and down you go, no bed required.

So we want you to share your funniest photos of your kids asleep, wherever they may be!

To enter, go to Instagram, tag your photos with @kidspot AND #amonthofsleep and you’ll go in the draw to win a prize pack worth $752.76.

2) Bedtime books competition

This competition will commence on Friday, 7 March and run until 28 March, 2014.

Do you have a bedtime routine with your kids? Does it involve a story? My kids are a little older now but there are some books I read so often that I can still recite them, word for word, more than 10 years later. Some of them I loved. Some … not so much. But the ones that stay with me are favourites. Books like The Bunyip of Berkeley’s Creek, Peepo, or – a particular favourite - Owl Babies.

We want to know about your favourite bedtime book. Is it the illustrations you love? The story? The way the writer uses rhythm and rhyme?

To enter, go here and fill in the questionnaire. The winner will be announced on this page on 11 April. You can find the full terms and conditions here.

There’s a total prize pool of $1294.56 (including GST), and there will be 1 x Major Winner, 1 x Second Winner, 1 x Third Winner and 5 x Runner up winners will receive:

MAJOR PRIZE:

Book packs – copies each of On the Day You Were Born,( 24.99) Pip and Posy: The Bedtime Frog, (19.99) Animal ABC, (14.99) Animal 123, (14.99 Because I Love You (19.99) and My Dad and Me (12.99)

3) MumTruths competition: I’m so tired …

This competition will begin on 11 March, 2014, so get your thinking hats on and be ready to enter!

Last year Nicola Anderson wrote about her friend who was so caught up in the newborn sleep deprivation phase that she found herself preparing to breastfeed the cat. Fortunately, this tired new mum came to her senses before she latched her feline friend on for a feed, but it just goes to show, fatigue can make you do strange things.

So we want to know, how is your tiredness affecting you? We’ll be asking you to complete this sentence: I’m so tired I … and the best entry as judged by our editorial team will win.

To enter, go to our MumTruths page, choose the MumTruths image that best sums up how you’re feeling and complete the sentence, “I’m so tired I …”

The Love To SwaddleUP™: the only swaddle that allows babies to sleep in their natural position with arms up. This ensures they have access to their hands and can therefore self-soothe, helping them to quickly settle and establish an easy, peaceful sleep routine.

The Love To Layer ON™ Merino: a simple and safer alternative to using blankets on swaddled babies. It is specifically engineered to fit over a swaddle, ensuring your baby stays snugly wrapped and warm all night without the potential dangers associated with blankets.

The Love To INVENTA Sleep Bag™ 2.5Tog: featuring a unique Genius Cooling System™ that allows you to moderate your baby’s temperature and reduce the risk of overheating. By simply opening a zip on either the front or back of the Sleep Bag to reveal the breathable mesh ventilation, you can regulate your baby’s body temperature with minimal disturbance.

Finally the pack contains a Love To Dream™ Wash Bag, which will gently protect all your Love To Dream™ goodies when laundering.

The Ergobaby Wrap has been years in the making – and well worth the wait. Ultra-breathable, unbelievably soft cotton provides that essential close contact you and your baby crave in those first days and months. The 4D StretchTM knit fabric flexes equally in all four directions, providing the strength and flexibility to support you and your baby all day. So simple to use, parents are always surprised at how quickly they can wrap and go. Perfect from birth (3kgs) to 14kgs.

This easy to assemble travel cot features a bassinet, change table with adjustable harness, mattress, musical mobile with soft toys and travel bag. Your newborn will be kept entertained with musical melodies from the adorable battery-free mobile and all of your baby’s essentials can be stored in the easy to reach side pocket.
The Eclipse 4 in 1 Portable Cot is suitable for newborns to toddlers approximately 15kg or 90cm and has an array of safety features sure to keep your baby secure and in comfort, including a childproof rail locking mechanism, additional base lock for added safety and security, large mesh sides for ventilation and observation and casters with breaks for greater manoeuvrability.

Little Innoscents products are Australian made with 100% Natural, Pure and Organic ingredients. Completely free from Toxic Chemicals, Parabens and all other little hidden nasties.

The naturally pure and organic baby skincare products are based on aromatherapy ingredients which means they can used on delicate and sensitive skin and provide essential skincare for babies and infants. All of the baby skincare products can be used to relieve young ones from rashes including eczema, psoriasis, cradle cap, nappy rash and more…

The Ergobaby® Swaddler is an innovative, ergonomic design that combines several unique features to ensure your baby sleeps safely and soundly. The Ergobaby Swaddler is the only swaddler to feature a patent-pending Healthy Hip Positioner which helps keep baby’s hips in an ergonomically correct ‘frog-leg’ position, as recommended by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute.

Bedtime can be a rush in many households and children, like adults, can find it hard to wind down after a busy day.

Lavender oil is renowned for its ability to improve sleep quality, calm and promote relaxation.

Euky Bear Sleepy Time Inhalant contains real Lavandula Angustifolia lavender oil to help create a peaceful ambience in the bedroom at night. Used in a steam vaporiser, it creates gentle all-night vapours helping calm and soothe children for a better sleep.

LeapFrog’s Sing and Play Farm is a playful, engaging way to interact with life on the farm as little ones learn animal names and sounds, colours, rhythm and melodies. Children push buttons, turn keys, flip switches and more to build fine motor skills. And, they will meet new animal friends and sing along to popular melodies like Old MacDonald and Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Flip the light switch to illuminate the lantern and tractor light and hear the little chick “chirp.” Find the hidden owl, a “woofing” dog, an idling tractor driven by a silly sheep, a sliding spider, a musical hopping bunny and more.

A is for “awesome” in these five ABC play dates from Nick Jr.! Kids learn about letters and reading as they visit libraries with Team Umizoomi and Diego, help Dora save ABC animals, and jump into classic stories with Kai-ian and the Wonder Pets!